Operation Raptor
by freifraufischer
Summary: Regal Believer. Regina Mills is the mayor of a small town in Maine, a reasonable and responsible woman, who along with her son Henry decide that they'll break the curse they live under and defeat the Evil Queen. Except the monster they're hunting is closer than either of them realize at first. As her son pulls away from her Regina has the terrible realization that she is th
1. Chapter 1

Regina Mills was a responsible adult. She was the mayor. She made sure the snow ploughs worked and the schools were open. How and why she came to believe that she and everyone she knew were displaced fairy tale characters was both a long story and a short one. She believed it because her son Henry had convinced her of it. He was her sun and moon and all the stars in the sky, and no the first time he sat down on the couch with the giant old book of stories she hadn't believed. But he wanted her help in breaking this curse that the Evil Queen had placed them under and she did what she always knew she would. She'd move her entire world for him.

And thus Operation Raptor was born the summer before Henry started 4th grade. He would come to her office each day at 5PM as she was finishing up work so that they could walk over to Granny's and he could eat dinner before his appointment with Archie. She'd found a lot of usefulness in talking to Archie over the years, he'd helped her with some of her anger and sleeping problems and she liked Henry to have male role models in his life. It was Archie who had gotten Henry to tell his mom about the book and his theory about the Curse. And it was Archie that had been the key to her agreeing with Henry that they were in fact living in a cursed town.

It had started, ironically enough, as a summer reading project. Henry would read a chapter of the big book during the day and try and come up with a list of candidates around town for the cursed identities of the characters. It had been a fun and harmless game at first but one evening over dinner he'd laid out his case that Archie was Jiminy Cricket and as strange as that sounded Regina found herself a believer.

The book had illustrations, but they were old timey water colors and no real good in identifying people. Besides if a cricket could be a man named Hopper the pictures didn't seem like the best guide.

"Madam Mayor," Granny said grumpily from behind the counter as Henry ran to their regular booth. Not everyone in town loved her. She didn't need anyone in town to love her except Henry. Still Ruby the waitress came by as they sat down with a glass of milk, a grilled cheese sandwich and broccoli and tomato soup for Henry, and coffee for Regina. Their regular.

"So who are we working on today?" Regina asked.

"I think I figured out who Miss. Blanchard is?"

Regina found herself frowning a little. Miss. Blanchard was Henry's teacher. After the third bird house he'd brought home Regina had gone to her to speak about how this couldn't possibly be part of the state guidelines for science education. Mostly the young woman had shaken like a leaf and Regina wondered if she'd not caught her by surprise if she'd have tried to hide under her desk rather than speak to her. "Who do you think she is?"

"Well, your idea to look at names made me think maybe they're not all English. So I asked Graham to help me search Wikipedia."

Regina chuckled a little, not at Henry but more at the idea that Graham helped Henry with computers. Given the layer of dust on the computers in the Sheriff's Department she was sure it was the other way around. But at least there was an adult with him while he searched the internet. "And what did you find?"

"Blanchard means 'white' in old French. Well... 'white'ish.'" He scrunched his face up a bit and shrugged. "I think she may be Snow White."

Regina resisted the urge to dismiss the idea. One of the things she'd liked about these stories was that Snow White wasn't some stupid girl who was cursed because she thought an apple was shiny. She was strong and independent and yet still full of hope. A good role model. Mary Margaret Blanchard was a pathetic woman probably jumped up on chairs when she saw a mouse. "Alright... the name is suggestive. And she does have the bird obsession."

"And if she's cursed by the Evil Queen it explains why she's alone. The Queen wanted her to suffer."

Regina nodded slowly. Being alone was the worst punishment of all. "So where is her Prince Charming?"

Henry shrugged, "I haven't found him. But I think we have a bigger problem. I think we have to find the Queen."

"Do you think she's even here?" Regina asked. The Queen in the book, full of fire and anger and insanity had been one of the reasons she'd hesitated to let him read it. Before she believed it was true and it was just a storybook. She'd had a few nightmares about the Queen. Of all that death the book talked about that Henry glossed over. Of the kind of woman that would kill her father and curse a realm to punish one girl. "I mean I thought maybe she'd stay with her castle and the kingdom."

Henry shook his head, "No, the pages about the curse say that she was sending everyone. I think she's around here but I just don't know who."

His voice was low now, whispering. She reached over and squeezed his hand, "Don't worry Henry. We'll figure this out. Together." She glanced at her blackberry, "Damn it, I have to get to a town council meeting. Spencer is suggesting stupid things again. Can you make it to Archie's?"

"Mom, I'm not a kid, it's just down the block."

Regina smiled as she got up and kissed him on the forehead, "Of course you aren't my little Prince. I'll pick you up after your session."

After Regina left Henry looked over at Ruby who came over and took away his broccoli and gave him a bowl of ice cream and a wink. Not long after he started digging in a well dressed man sat down across from him.

"Hello Henry."

"Hi..." Henry looked confused. Mom said not to talk to strangers but there weren't really many in town.

"I overheard you talking about wanting to find the Queen."

"You know about the stories?"

"I do. And I think you are right. You should figure out who the Evil Queen is next. And I can help. My name is Jefferson. And I knew her."


	2. Chapter 2

"I have to go into the office for a couple of hours this morning Henry. There is food in the fridge and I should be back before lunch. The nuns were late in filing their planning permits for Miner's Day. Again."

Henry smiled and hoped that she didn't see anything strange, "I'll be alright, Mom."

He was still turning over in his mind what the man from Granny's had said to him. _If you want to find the Queen you should ask your mother._ At first he dismissed it, mostly because no one believed the curse right off and why would a man he didn't know and hadn't seen the book. And why would mom know anything, she was helping with Operation Raptor.

But as he was learning the best way to figure out what was going on in town was to go back to the book. Normally he read a chapter ahead of his mom so he could prepare his theories and evidence for their meetings, but now he knew he had to figure out who this Jefferson was... before he could decide if he should trust him.

It took most of the morning to find a story that fit, a man, a lost child, and the queen. But that left a new question. Should you really trust the Mad Hatter with information. Besides, he didn't really want to believe him. His mom believed in the curse and was helping him figure out how to break it. If she was the Evil Queen why would she do that? Unless she was sending him down the wrong paths...

But even at that thought he shook his head.

It didn't make any sense at all. Except ... she was the only one besides Jefferson who believed in the curse.

He decided that what he needed to do was read ahead in the book. So he sat down with a cold glass of milk and the doughnuts mom had gotten earlier that morning and opened the book, scanning the pages for references to the Dark Curse. He slowly shook his head when he got to the last few pages of the book and shut it.

It just couldn't be. He played an hour of Space Paranoids but after he kept being killed by the same boss repeatedly that didn't help either. He looked back at the book on his bead but jumped when he heard his mom's car in the driveway.

He'd have to do some investigating that night after she was asleep. He made it through dinner, and an episode of _Smallville_ with mom before she'd told him it was past his bedtime. He had to wait what seemed like forever for the light under the crack in her bedroom door to go out before he snuck downstairs and took the keys out of her purse. She kept some town documents at home, but there was a filing cabinet in the library he knew held important papers. Most of the files were boring family stuff. Bank records and immunizations, but in the far back was a folder marked Henry - Boston. He pulled the file out and set it on the table mom worked at from home. The first pages were legal things that were hard to figure out until he got to a page with on fancy paper with an official seal like his mom used for town stuff.

An Adoption Certificate.

And suddenly it all fit. The book, the Queen, Jefferson, and the last few pages. He went through the rest of the file looking for any information on his birth mother. If the book was right Regina would have had to have searched the country for her. But there was nothing there...

"Henry, what are you doing up?" His mom stood in the doorway, a little haggard as she always looked when she woke from a bad dream, but her eyes were wide when she saw what he was looking at. "Henry what are you reading?"

"You lied to me." His blood was up now and he was angry. "You said I was your son."

"Henry you are my son."

"Not according to this!" He held up the papers.

Regina looked horrified and shook her head taking the papers from him. "No Henry, these papers say exactly that."

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

"My real mom!"

Regina was too stunned to speak. "It was a closed adoption Henry. I don't know where she is. It doesn't matter. She gave you up. Do you really want someone who would ever let you go like that?"

"I'd want someone that was real!" He ran upstairs and slammed his bedroom door, pulled out the book and ripped the last two pages out. They were too dangerous for her to ever read. He'd underestimated the Queen. Been fooled by her. But he wouldn't be again.


	3. Chapter 3

Regina got up early the next morning and made Henry's favorite breakfast. Cinnamon pancakes with apple butter. He came down stairs lugging the book with him and fixing her with an icy stare.

"We should talk about what you found last night."

"Should we? Or perhaps we should talk about pancakes. Pancakes are delicious and don't lie."

Regina's shoulders sank, "I didn't lie to you."

"You told me you were my mom."

"I am your mother." Regina said, her heart dropping to her stomach. "Somewhere out there is a woman who gave birth to you but she didn't want you. I did. Being a mother isn't giving birth. You are my son by choice."

He looked at her eyes as if he wanted to believe her, but pressed his lips together and did not answer. Instead he sat down with his juice and breakfast and ate in pointed silence.

"We didn't get to work on the curse last night. Have you figured anything else out? Anything that can help us?"

"I think I have some leads on the Queen."

She frowned a little, "Just don't confront her Henry. If she is in town she surely knows who she is and won't just let a threat to her curse go on."

"I'm sure she's a very good liar," Henry said. "I think I want to do a little checking on things before I present my case though."

His case. That was how he presented who he thought people in town were. She would listen and point out any problems with his evidence. She nodded. "Well I have a school board meeting tonight so perhaps before you go to bed?"

He nodded, "That sounds great."

The smile seemed something at least and she make sure he had his lunch and his homework before driving him to school. She didn't find out that he wasn't in school until the principal's office called at lunch time to ask if Henry was sick. His few friends were all in school and she frantically drove around his town to check his usual hangouts. Granny's, the arcade, the playground he thought was his secret. When that led nowhere she called Graham.

He got a small search party together and they all started checking the woods. There were many dangerous parts of the forest and animals. Regina went with them even though she didn't have any tracking skills. They walked around until it was long past dark and they couldn't see much. Until Graham had forced her to go home to try and get some rest so they could start fresh the next day.

He stayed with her, she couldn't sleep and he was afraid she'd go back out to the woods by herself when her cell phone rang. "Archie have you seen Henry?"

The calm voice on the other end of the line gave her the best news of her life and she ran towards the door seeing him standing on the front walk with a blonde woman she didn't recognize.

"Henry?! Where have you been." She wrapped him in her arms and only let go when he forced himself from her grip. "I found my real mom!" Before he ran into the house.

Regina slowly turned to the woman, a few years younger than her, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket that looked second hand from a thrift store. "You're Henry's birthmother?"

She gave an awkward shrug, "Hi."

Regina schooled her expression and tried to stop her panic, "Would you like to come in for a drink. I know I could use one."

The woman she quickly learned was named Emma Swan, and once Graham had assured her that Henry was fine she settled in her den with her. "You have to understand, being mayor of the town and a single mother can be hard sometimes. Henry's been under pressure."

She handed Emma a glass before mixing her own drink. She nodded awkwardly in thanks.

"Do I have to worry about you... or your husband?"

"Oh no," Emma said almost too fast, "And you won't have to worry about Henry's father either. I just wanted to make sure he was safe. He told a pretty wild story... about fairy tale characters?"

Regina chuckled, "I suppose you judge me for indulging that. I honestly didn't see any harm..." She couldn't bring herself to admit to this stranger that she shared Henry's belief in the curse.

"Evil Queens and curses?"

Regina shrugged. "Dr. Hopper didn't see harm and it was something he and I were doing together until he found his adoption papers. I am so sorry that he dragged you out of your life."

"You aren't exactly the picture he painted."

Regina shrugged, "I'm a small town politician, have my share of character flaws I'm sure that many around here could enumerate. But he's mad at me. I hadn't told him about the adoption. He found the paperwork. I know I should have ages ago. But I ..."

She just shrugged and Emma nodded.

"Do you mind if I stick around few a few days. Just to make sure he's alright?"

Regina frowned, an irrational urge to get her on the road as soon as possible welling up. "It's a free country. Just please remember that you gave him up and you agreed to a closed adoption."

She tried to look sympathetic but firm and just ended up she was sure looking annoyed.

"Of course." Emma Swan said, saying goodbye with a firm handshake. Once she was gone Regina walked up stairs to talk to Henry but his door slammed hard just as she was getting to it.

She knew her son well enough to know there was no good talking tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days were hard on Regina. Every time she saw Emma Swan her blood boiled and she had the urge to tell her off, to threaten her, to let her know that she wasn't without power or influence if the woman didn't remove herself from her son's life.

The only thing stopping her was Henry really. She didn't understand what was happening, but whatever sparked his rebellion it was taking the form of Emma Swan and even in her anger she knew that trying to drive her away would drive Henry from her more.

And she suspected make the damn woman stay. Which ... she seemed to be doing anyway. She tried to be as open and understanding as she could, she even brought a basket of apples over to her for the road but that went rather disastrously.

What really made her loose her temper though was finding out that Graham had offered her a job in the sheriff's department. Of course the money was in his budget but she thought he'd hire someone local. In truth the last thing she wanted to say was that she wanted the woman gone because if they really were a bunch of cursed fairy tale characters the last thing they needed was attention from outsiders.

And that's where she was planning on taking the conversation at dinner that evening. "So Henry, where are we on Operation Raptor. Any more clues? Ideas of who people might be?"

Henry shrugged, "I've got some ideas but I'm not sure I'm ready to tell them yet."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "Henry, I know your mad at me but, this curse and however we ended up here is more important. You are the only one I can count on since the rest of us came here with it."

Appealing to his sense of responsibility seemed right.

"Do you really expect me to believe you want to break the Queen's Curse?" He looked right at her, gripping his fork tightly. "She's the Savior."

"Savior? What Savior? Of course I want to help. I believe in it. I know Emma says she does but she's only doing that to get close to you." She knew that was a mistake as soon as she said it. But he got up from the table... "Henry you haven't finished your dinner."

"You keep lying to protect everything."

He ran up the stairs and she followed only as far as the bottom but at a lost as to what to do. She'd never had anything like this kind of problem with Henry before. But this was why she hadn't told him he was adopted.

She went over to the sideboard to make a drink, she'd been doing that more and more often the last month. But she saw Henry's bag by the back door and decided that perhaps the book would hold some answers. The savior was new information and she at least needed to know what Henry might be thinking. She pulled the book from his bag and brought it and her glass of scotch over to the table. She had never read the entire thing, and couldn't do that tonight, but she flipped through the pages for more information about the Dark Curse.

Of course it would be in the very back of the book in the story of Snow White's wedding. Henry had read parts of it to her when he was trying to convince her of the curse but the book's description was vivid and disturbing. She ran her fingers over the illustration of the queen in the book and felt the desperation of a woman who had wanted to hurt everyone in the worst possible way. She turned the pages as she read of Snow White and Prince Charming's preparations for the curse but there was no mention of a Savior. She turned a page again only to find our pages ripped out. She ran her fingers along the fold and shook her head, sure that there had been no missing pages before.

It was late and Henry was asleep and she needed some fresh air to think. She grabbed her coat and scarf and went out into the crisp autumn night, sure there would be no one out this late in Storybrooke. Why would he rip out the pages? Who did he think Emma Swan was? Why was he so angry at her...

She almost walked past the scene on the other side of the street but the sound of Emma Swan's voice made her stop, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Regina moved into the shadows and watched what clearly looked like a lovers spat between Sheriff Graham and his deputy. Which ... probably meant she should send a copy of the town's employee sexual harassment policy over to the Sheriff's Department... but more troublingly _she_ was involved with Sheriff Graham.

It wasn't emotional of course, at least she didn't think so for either of them, and she was careful to make sure Henry didn't know. But still her blood boiled at the idea that _that woman_ was interloping on something else of hers. Without noticing it Regina's hand flexed at her side as if she wanted to reach out and wring the annoying woman's neck.

She went back the house knowing she wasn't going to sleep that night.

Henry didn't speak to her at breakfast, which was becoming their new normal, she tried to ask about the missing pages of the book but he shrugged, "It's an old book, stuff's missing."

"I'm pretty sure there weren't any missing pages before, Henry."

He shook his head, "You can stop pretending to care. I know what you are?"

Regina nearly dropped the plate she was rinsing in the sink, "Henry what does that mean?"

"I should have seen it before."

"Seen what," Regina reached out to touch his chin, "Henry please help me I don't understand what's gotten into you."

"That's what the Evil Queen would say."

Regina was too stunned to run after him when he turned to walk away. He thought she was the Queen? How ... how could he think that? That was ridiculous. The Queen was a monster. The book made that clear. Someone who killed people for sport and terrorized people with dark magic. Henry ran out the front door with his bag and she stood on the porch trying not to cry.

The day only got worse when she got a phone call from Henry's school that Sheriff Graham had gone there to speak to Mary Margaret Blanchard looking pale and sick. She intended to go find him at Granny's after she visited her father. He could usually be found throwing darts after work. But when she got to the cemetery there was Emma Swan's yellow bug. Somehow it didn't surprise her that _that woman_ would have illicit sexual encounters in cemeteries. Especially if she was living with a prude like Mary Margaret Blanchard.

It was disrespectful and she fully intended to tell the deputy to get a room if she saw her. But her stomach dropped when she saw the door open to her family crypt. Surely she wouldn't be that disrespectful...

"What the hell is going on here?"

Emma came out of the crypt surprised followed by Sheriff Graham.

What happened next was... not dignified. And she really couldn't tell where the urge to punch the young woman had come from except she wasn't the least bit sorry about it as they both were left bleeding.

But what really enraged her was the look on the Sheriff's face when he looked at her. Contempt and hatred in his eyes that she didn't at all understand but that sent her blood pressure racing.

She watched them walk away, her blood boiling...

... and the next thing she remembered she was sitting in her car and it was pitch black. She must have gone back to her car on autopilot. But the persistent ringing of her phone brought her out of it and she picked it up, "Mayor Mills."

A voice at the other end of the line simply said, "Graham is dead."


	5. Chapter 5

The morning of Graham's funeral Regina laid out clothing for Henry. He was sullen and angry, though sullen and angry seemed to be his mode of behavior with her lately and she was starting to think she should investigate stronger means of controlling Emma Swan's influence on him.

"Are you ready?" She asked from his bedroom door.

"I don't know how to do this." He held up the tie.

She'd debated not including it. "Do you want to wear it?" He shrugged and she came over sitting on the bed so she'd be at his level, pulling up the collar and beginning to tie it. "I know you are upset about Graham."

He looked at her square in the eyes, "How did you do it?"

"I looked at a Youtube video this morning..."

He shook his head and scrunched his face, "How did you kill him."

Regina was stunned just as she was finishing with the tie, "What?"

"He was starting to remember. He talked to me. And you couldn't have him remembering."

She blinked twice, "Henry I can't believe you would think I was capable of something like that. Besides, I told you they did an autopsy. He had a heart condition."

"I don't know what you are capable of anymore, Your Majesty."

He walked passed her leaving her frozen in confusion as he loosened the tie a little. She got up slowly, feeling the knot in her stomach and pressing her hand there before following after him. The entire town seem to attend the sheriff's funeral. She kept a hand on Henry's shoulder she hoped was comforting but as soon as it was over he ran away from her leaving her standing alone.

"Are you alright Regina?" She looked up at the sound of her name and smiled. Kathryn Nolan was giving her a smile she really needed.

"Not really."

"More trouble with Henry, or is it Graham. You were close."

Regina shrugged, the truth was she wasn't feeling much about Graham's death and part of her was bothered about that. She knew their relationship was just about sex but her own lack of attachment surprised her. "Henry has decided that I murdered the sheriff."

Saying it out loud made it sound even more ridiculous.

Kathryn folded her arms, "Really, why? And more importantly how? Wasn't he with Deputy Swan?"

"The whys and hows seem to be less important details. He's probably off figuring them out with Jailbird Jane over there." Regina made sure her leather gloves were fully on each finger.

Kathryn glanced over, "Well they seem to be hanging out with the school teacher trying to steal my husband so I think that a little homicidal thought might be bad for either of us." The smile though conveyed her friend's frustration. "When you find out how you do it you want to share your secret murder technique."

Regina laughed and put an arm around Kathryn, "Thank you I needed that."

"Look at it this way, Regina, you now can fire your nemesis."

"You aren't supposed to be encouraging me, Kathryn."

"I'm not serious you know."

"I know but it's nice to have some evil thoughts if I'm being accused of them."

What Regina didn't notice was Mr. Gold watching the two of them talk as they walked away from the grave.

* * *

As it turned out firing Emma backfired spectacularly when she was elected to the office of Sheriff in a landslide. Probably she reasoned because Sydney looked about as heroic as a wet paper bag. But unlike what Henry thought your choice of minions when you weren't an evil queen was limited.

She swallowed her pride and went down to the sheriff's office the day after the election.

"I'm glad to see you are keeping his things around. It makes it seem like he's still here."

Emma looked at her with eyes narrowed, "I'm really not up for a fight on my first day."

"I'm not here for a fight.

Emma folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought we could talk about Henry's curse," Regina came into the office and sat down, running her hand along her stomach.

"Here to convince me it isn't real? That you aren't an evil queen. I'll grant perhaps that's not right but royal bitch seems to fit."

Regina wanted to snap back and her blood was boiling already but she forced herself to breath. Through a clenched jaw she managed what she thought was something like a rational voice, "I don't think you believe in the curse and I'd prefer you not play along just to get what you have no right to from my son. But believe it or not I do believe in the curse."

She blinked, "You do?"

She shrugged, "You haven't lived in town long enough to notice the oddities. I didn't before Henry started showing them to me. But my point is that whatever issues you have with me I'd prefer you not mix in with Henry's curse. And please don't think you can use what I just said to get custody of him. If you take this matter before a family court judge I will bury you."

"You know threats don't make me disbelieve in Henry's Evil Queen theory. You know he thinks you crushed Graham's heart."

Regina raised an eyebrow, "I think if anyone had hold of Graham's heart at the time he died it would be you. He certainly didn't care about me."

Emma shrugged.

"I didn't come here to make peace with you, Miss. Swan. I don't expect you are capable of it. I just wanted to ask that you not confuse your own guilty feelings about giving Henry up with his curse. Sheriff's badge are not you are an outsider in this town and if Henry's right nothing to relate to here once this curse is broken."

"And you, what if Henry's right about you?"

Regina shook her head, "I think I'd know if I was some sort of Evil Queen, dear."


	6. Chapter 6

Regina came into the coffee shop having brought Henry to school after discovering Sheriff Swan encouraging him to dig holes in the sand under several hundred pounds of damaged wooden playground. She needed more than coffee really, but she wasn't so far gone that she was drinking at 8AM yet. Yet seemed an operative word. What she really didn't need was that rewarmed swill that they served down the street at Granny's.

"Kathryn, what are you doing here I thought David was bringing you coffee for work every day."

It was one of those little things that had made them both thing he was trying to reconcile their marriage. Except Regina knew differently. She'd seen the little tramp and David kissing the other day after the storm and she wasn't sure if she should tell her friend. Maybe Sydney could help...

Kathryn gave her a sad little smile, "He had to start his shift earlier at the shelter. No more rides to work."

Regina frowned, but shook her head, "I was wondering if you had some time today to talk about rezoning some property the town is buying from Mr. Gold."

Kathryn stirred more sugar into her coffee and waited for Regina to get hers. "What are you thinking?"

"That old playground that Henry likes by the water? It was already in terrible shape and I was thinking of building the kids a new playground. Away from the shore so as to avoid more storm damage."

Kathryn raised her eyebrows, "You wouldn't be trying to buy his affection back."

Regina smiled, "Well, it would be for all the children but I wouldn't mind if Henry liked it. I was thinking about something based on a picture from his storybook. Embrace his ideas instead of fighting him all the time."

She shook head, "As long as it's accessible to everyone I don't think it should be a problem getting the rezoning done. I wish you didn't have to buy the land from Gold though."

"Point me to land for sale around town that doesn't belong to Mr. Gold and I'll look at that parcel," Regina shrugged.

"Have you heard that he beat the florist, Mr. French?" Kathryn shook her head.

Regina paused, "I did. That ... may be why he's willing to sell to the town at a descent price."

Kathryn looked a little aghast, "He's bribing his way out of it with a playground."

Regina shrugged, "As much as I'd love the idea of him going to prison you know he'd bribe his way out of it with something at least this has some community benefit."

"I suppose." Kathryn said with a sigh.

"The things we do for our children," Regina agreed.

* * *

The town meeting had turned into a mess, but at least it was a mess Henry hadn't been around to witness. She dreaded trying to explain the meaning of Sheriff Swan asking if she'd punish her because Regina wasn't entirely sure that wasn't about something else entirely. But Emma Swan frustrating her and making her irrationally angry was a fact of life. But at least now she had more control over the situation. She couldn't forbid her from seeing Henry forever, but at least now the train was back on the tracks and she'd figure out how to set better boundaries for that later.

Dinner was their now regular battle of wills, where he ate in sullen silence and she tried to ask questions about school that were greeted with one word answers.

"I was hoping we could work on Operation Raptor tonight." She said nervously.

He raised an eyebrow, "Why are you pretending you want the curse to break? It's your curse."

Regina wanted to avoid crying in front of him but she could feel her eyes watering. "Henry... I believe you about the curse but I don't understand why you decided I'm this person. I promise you I'm not."

"Well who are you in the book if you aren't the Evil Queen?"

"I don't know," Regina said exasperated. "Maybe if you loaned me the book I could recognize something? But you said that the curse keeps us from remembering."

"So why do you believe in the curse?"

She looked at him and just shook her head sadly and smiled, "Because you do Henry. You make me believe it."

For a moment she thought maybe he believed her. He bit his lower lip and sighed, "Maybe you can photo copy some of the book. See if it helps you remember."

Just the idea that he believed her, even a little bit made her happy and she smiled, "Thank you, Henry." Still something in the pit of her stomach told her that he didn't quite believe her.

"Mom? You said the new playground... that you took the idea from one of the castles in the book?"

"Yeah..." She said happy for the change of subject.

"Which one?"

"The pretty pointy one that looks like ice. The one Snow White grew up in."

Henry tilted his head a little but said nothing.

* * *

It didn't take long for Sydney to come up with the evidence that Regina knew he would. 8x10 glossies of Mary Margaret Blanchard, purity obsessed school teacher. There was a knock on her door and she looked up to see Kathryn standing there looking out of sorts. "What's wrong."

She flipped over the picture on her desk and went over to her friend. "David... I ... I didn't want to believe it. I mean I knew he and she were... but I didn't think he'd do this to me. And I don't even know if he has I just feel it you know. I was looking at him last night and I just knew he was somewhere else in his mind." She had an envelope in her hand, the seal of a Boston law school on it. "I told him I'd been accepted to law school and he didn't look happy Regina. He looked..."

"...relieved?"

"How did you know?" She looked confused.

Regina sighed, "I thought I saw them the other day and... I didn't want to go to you without proof. So I asked Sydney..."

She handed over the pictures.

"You asked _Sydney_ to look into my marriage? The newspaper reporter?"

"He won't publish anything I promise."

"But why didn't you come to me first?"

Regina folded her arms, "I wanted to be wrong."

"Or you wanted to be right. About Mary Margaret."

Regina sighed, "Does it matter?"

"It does to me."

Kathryn stormed off leaving Regina stunned and not entirely sure what she did wrong.

A call from the school principle gave her what happened next. And she couldn't say she wasn't happy to hear it but still she left the office early and when Kathryn got back to her house Regina was sitting on the porch with a bottle of wine.

"I slapped a school teacher with a pixie cut."

"I heard. In fact I heard it was adorable. I brought you wine." Regina held up the bottle.

Kathryn laughed, "I'm going to miss you."

Regina got up and followed Kathryn into the house, "Boston?"

"Yeah. I think... it's for the best really. If they love each other."

"You deserve better."

"Thank you for the sentiment Regina you've been a great friend." She looked at the bottle of wine, "Come one let's find a bottle opener while I pack."

"Don't drive to Boston drunk."

"I'll sober up before I hit the road." Regina nodded. "You can help me figure out how to write a note to David."

"You probably don't want that, I'd say mean things."

"I'll just write the opposite of what you suggest. And I can giggle over the mean things."

Regina laughed and stayed the afternoon.

The next morning Kathryn Nolan's empty car was found at the edge of town.


	7. Chapter 7

No one told Regina that Kathryn was missing for twenty four hours. She would have seen it in the reports from the police department a few days later but Sheriff Swan was behind on her paperwork so those few days could be weeks. The way she found out was when she got worried that Kathryn hadn't called her to let her know she'd gotten to Boston she called her friends cell phone and the damn woman had picked up.

"Why are you calling her, Madam Mayor?"

"Why do you have my friend's phone?"

Emma had given her very little information when she'd demanded a briefing. The woman's icy gaze and answers about ongoing police matters just made Regina even angrier.

"Have you called her husband in? She was leaving him."

"I have some suspects." Emma had said vaguely.

"Including your roommate who has the other obvious motive. You know they were fucking right?"

"I don't actually think they've gotten past the sneaking around stage, but yes I am aware of the situation." She tilted her head. "Why are you?"

"Because my best friend told me." She really didn't want to explain Sydney. After all she was also using him to keep track of what the sheriff did with her son. "You know the missing woman? You keep talking about how you were paid to find people. Find my friend."

She stormed off, making it back to her office, not wanting to lose her cool in front of anyone. She picked up an apple from her fruit bowl, and with a roar of frustration she sent apple flying across the room breaking a mirror and sending bits of fruit everywhere.

She stood there breathing hard and suddenly got an idea. Calming herself she went over to her phone, "Yes, Sydney, I want you to make the Kathryn Nolan disappearance your number one priority. If Miss. Swan wont investigate the love birds I want you to."

* * *

The updates on the investigation didn't come any faster from the Sheriff's office. Some prodding finally got Sheriff Swan to bring the husband in for questioning, something she felt like anyone who had watched an episode of _Law & Order_ would have done the first day. Her frustration grew as the slow pace of the investigation continued and she had to find out from other sources around town bits and pieces of it.

Her encounters with the Sheriff over the next few days grew even more frustrated, and in her turn the Sheriff continued questioning her involvement. "I'm the mayor." "My friend is missing." "You aren't doing your job."

Maybe she should have insisted Kathryn stay over at her house that night before she left for Boston. Maybe she should have brushed off the idea that the two love birds were capable of getting rid of her friend. Maybe they knew that with their friend in the police force they could get away with it. All Regina knew was that she'd failed Kathryn.

And it just became worse when they found the heart.

All of her nightmares seem to be coming true and her insomnia just got worse. It was probably her sleep deprivation that made her turn to the one person who was angriest with her at breakfast the next morning. He'd asked to go to Granny's, and her desperation to spend time with him meant she said yes and watched as he ate and she wrapped her fingers around her coffee cup.

"Has Emma said anything to you about the investigation? I know she arrested Miss. Blanchard last night..."

Henry gave her a look, "Are you trying to pretend you don't know?"

Regina blinked, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Snow White is being framed for murder and you don't know what I'm talking about?"

Regina wanted to cry but she went cold as ice.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she's not Snow White? Maybe Kathryn was? Maybe Ms. Blanchard is the evil one?" It came out before Regina thought about what she was saying.

"You couldn't leave it alone. You know the curse is going to break so you have to get her before everyone finds out who you really are."

Regina shook her head and grew icy cold in order to stop herself from breaking out in tears, "Henry give me the book."

"Why?" His hand moved to rest on his bag.

"Because I'm going to prove to you once and for all that I can't possibly be this monster you think I am. I'm going to find the real Evil Queen." She held out her hand but he didn't give the book over. "Henry Daniel Mills, don't make me ask another time."

He clinched his jaw but took the big book out gave it to her.

"I want it back."

Regina ran her hand along the cover, "You can have it back once I'm done hunting a monster. At this rate I'll do that before the sheriff admits her friend is a murderer."

Henry settled his eyes on her, "I need to go to my therapy session. Am I dismissed?"

It was a stab in Regina's heart but she nodded. She reached out to touch his hand but he pulled it away and left the dinner. The slutty waitress with the nice legs came over to clear the table. "Leave the mug and bring me more coffee. I'm going to be here a while."

Regina opened the book and started looking for stories about the Queen. She hadn't gotten far when a man slid into the booth across from her, "A little light reading?"

"Go away, I'm not interested." She looked up to give him her best annoyed look figuring he was there to hit on her.

The man, well dressed with a scarf at his throat smiled. "She looks like you. You know in those pictures. Only with ..." he waved vaguely at his own chest.

"I have a cup of hot coffee that would look good on you, whoever you are." She said coldly.

"My name's Jefferson." He didn't hold out his hand.

"I'm not interested in your name."

He smiled, "You know Regina, I'm not sure you weren't more charming as an openly murderous despot. You're really bad at glad handing and small town politics. Good thing for you the curse fixed all those elections."

"I won them." Unopposed but still. Something niggled the back of her brain. "Are you the one that convinced my son that I'm some sort of Evil Queen."

"Didn't take much convincing. The evidence is there to see if you know where to look."

She folded her arms, "And why do you know this?"

He snarled, "Because you took my daughter from me and wanted me to be able to see her but not have her. The person who knows the truth that one would believe." He grinned widely, "Except your own little boy. I can tell you I'm enjoying the irony."

"If you don't leave now I'm calling the sheriff."

He laughed again, "You've really built bridges there. I'm sure she'll come hopping, Your Majesty." Regina clinched her fist, and he looked at it, "So much anger. But really I should leave you to your reading." He gave a mock salute and left her sitting at the table alone, shaken.

The stories in the book weren't in order, and so many of them when they mentioned the Evil Queen gave her little to go on. It was hard focusing thinking about the strange encounter with Jefferson and why a mad man would have fixated on her.

She wondered if the Queen's own story was even in the book when she fipped a page and saw an illustration of a young man in a stable. It wasn't a story about the Queen but she read it anyway. Another Snow White story about a horse riding accident and an evil witch who ...

She frowned her finger absently running over the ring on her hand, a knot forming in her stomach. Henry had asked her once who she was in the book if not the Queen and she was relieved because she was finally sure she'd found herself.

A good heroic rider. It explained her love of horses and her ...

The next page though showed the old witch speaking to Snow White. Telling a secret.

"More coffee, Madam Mayor?"

Regina didn't respond to the waitress.

"Madam Mayor?"

She shook her head and got up running to the bathroom, barely making it there in time to throw up what was in her stomach, mostly coffee. She tried to calm down but when she got to the sink to wash her hands and compose herself she looked into the mirror and back down at her hands in the running water and she started to scrub. Like there was something on them that she couldn't get off.

The door to the bathroom opened slowly, and the waitress looked in, "Are you alright?"

Regina looked down at her hands, now red from the scrubbing. "No."


	8. Chapter 8

Regina went home thinking that she'd come to her senses and this horrible idea that Henry was right and she was the Evil Queen would be something that was silly and she'd laugh it off. Yet home carried with it so many other things that seemed to mock her in conformation. The horses that decorated the house despite the fact that she never road. The apples on her kitchen counter (and in her office). The nightmares she knew she'd face that evening when she went to bed.

So before Henry came home from hanging out with Emma plotting her doom she took everything apple in her kitchen, snacks and cider and fresh apples and put them all in a garbage bag. Anything that felt like the Evil Queen really. The bag was heavy and bursting a bit when she dragged it out to the outside garbage and with some struggle got it into the can that she didn't see a figure walking up the driveway.

"Isn't that a bit of a waste of food, Regina?"

She glanced over at Mr. Gold, "A bad apple spoiled the bunch."

He smiled, "I think everyone in town is seeing that a lot these days. Quite the scandal with Miss. Blanchard." He stepped into the open garage and glanced around.

"Yes well, that's police business. I'm keeping an eye on it to make sure our dear sheriff doesn't let friendship get in the way."

He nodded making a show of picking up a few things in the garage to examine them.. "Still messy. It takes a certain kind of person to rip a woman's heart out. Especially with such a nice woman like Mrs. Nolan."

Regina shifted and raised an eyebrow, "I'd prefer not to discuss the details of Kathryn's death. Especially when we haven't found the body yet."

"Oh, that's right, you were close to her. And our former sheriff. Your friends do seem to be dropping like flies."

Regina folded her arms, "What do you want Gold?"

He went over to something in the corner that Regina had been ignoring for years, and pulled off a dust cloth to reveal an old time-y spinning wheel. "This is quite a classic, Regina. You shouldn't let it gather dust." He spun the wheel and let the yarn on it flow through his hands. "Your boy is old enough he probably wouldn't prick his finger on it if you brought it into the house."

"Thank you. I'm sure when I'm redecorating next time I'll call you Gold."

He smiled. "You might have to given how fast your friends are dropping." He walked past her without explaining anything about the strange visit. "Lots of secrets still to be uncovered and unlocked.

Still Regina walked towards the antique. It had been in the house before she got Henry but the sharp needle scared her and she'd moved it out to the garage to forget about it. She ran her hand long the wheel and tried to remember why it seemed important before shaking her head.

She went back in the house and sat down in her study to try and read through the sections of the book about the Evil Queen again, hoping that she was wrong. She skipped over the story of the stable boy and the mother this time, unable to face the wave of emotion she'd felt the last time and tried to school herself to focus on the details.

A few hours later she found one. Two in fact. She opened a drawer in her desk and saw the big ring of skeleton keys that opened just about every door in town. Something she had as the mayor without ever thinking about why the mayor would have that kind of thing. She tossed the ring in her purse and picked up the book leaving a mark in the page.

It was still light out when she got to the cemetery and she opened the book, looking at the picture of the Evil Queen in front of her magical vault of hearts and at her family mausoleum. Biting her lower lip she used the keys to open the door that had been fixed since the love birds had been doing whatever they were doing inside. She lay a hand on her father's coffin and looked around not seeing anything out of place until she walked around to the other side and there were fresh scratches on the floor. She crouched down to touch them and look at the coffin. With some trepidation she went to the other side again and pushed hard preying she was wrong.

The big stone plinth moved to the side to reveal stairs.

Every part of her being was telling Regina to put the coffin back and to pretend she didn't see them. Still she walked slowly down into the darkness, pulling out a small flashlight from her purse. There was a strange noise in the stillness, a rumble that drew her to a row of boxes in the wall. On one of the side tables near it was an empty box. The absence of dust something noticed but didn't want to think too much about.

Regina inhaled deeply and opened a random drawer revealing an identical box. She carefully took it out and closed her eyes for a moment before she opened it. The red glow of the heart cast an eerie light over the room and the beating sound pounded in her head. She slowly closed the box and replaced it gently in the drawer before closing it and leaning her head against the wall unable to stop the tears coming now. She walked along the halls of the vault, putting her hand to places as if she knew where hidden switches were to reveal other rooms. The worst was like some sort of shrine to a serial killer-which she supposed it was-with dresses and paintings of horses and a big mirror with spikes.

It was in this inner sanctum of the mad queen that Regina Mills sat down against a wall and cried.

Henry had been right. She was the Evil Queen, and the curse was hers.


	9. Chapter 9

It was late at night and there was no one in the Sheriff's station except the town's lone prisoner. Mary Margaret Blanchard was curled up on the cell bunk unsure about how she'd gotten into this predicament. Yes she had been having an affair with a married man, but she'd thought he was leaving his wife, and she certainly hadn't killed her.

But her finger prints were on a box with her heart inside, Emma had found a bloody knife in their apartment, and the only reason she didn't think she'd killed her was because she knew she hadn't. She had found a key under her bed that opened the door and she knew she should run. Someone was framing her and there was nothing she could do to save herself it seemed. Even David seemed to think she was guilty.

Yet just as she got up the courage to use the key, to open the door and run, she heard someone coming into the office. She quickly hid the illicit key, "Emma is that you?"

"No, Miss. Blanchard."

She sighed, "Mayor Mills. Are you hear to gloat?"

She expected this of course. The two of them had been like oil and water since the beginning of the school year. But as the other woman moved into the light she saw that something was wrong. Her hair and makeup were perfect but it looked like she'd been crying.

"Kathryn Nolan was my best friend." She shrugged, "Really my only friend if I'm honest."

She pulled up a chair from one of the desks and sat down, crossing her legs.

"I didn't kill her. I'm innocent."

"I ... know. Or at least I believe you."

She blinked, "What?"

The mayor inhaled, "I believe you are being set up. I know you don't like me and I don't like you but there is a world of difference between personal dislike and wanting to see an innocent woman go to jail."

"You believe me?" Mary Margaret said stunned.

"Please keep up. Yes, I believe you are innocent. Annoying and insufferable but innocent. But someone did kill Kathryn and I'd like to figure out who."

Mary Margaret tilted her head, "You want to help me. Why?"

Regina tilted her head, "Because only a monster lets an innocent woman go to jail for a crime she didn't commit. And because Kathryn would want me to find her killer. Now... someone was able to access your things to take the box, and to plant that knife."

Mary Margaret folded her arms and nodded, "Emma said there were no signs of forced entry."

"But someone could have used keys?"

She shrugged and shook her head, "I suppose if someone had keys but only Emma and I do... and my landlord."

Regina's eyes narrowed, "Mr. Gold."

Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes, "But what motive would Gold have to murder Kathryn and frame me?"

Regina sighed and was forced to agree, "It does seem a bit farfetched. Maybe some sort of skeleton key."

Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes and watched the mayor, "Did you set that up?"

Regina laughed without humor, "Miss. Blanchard I really do not like you on a visceral level, but I give you my word that I am trying to help."

"Do you promise?" The voice came from behind her. Henry was standing there, his arms folded trying to look tough.

"Henry?"

"I saw your car parked outside when I was at Granny's." He walked up to her as she stood up. "You are playing a game with her aren't you?"

Regina lowered herself to his eye level. "I promise Henry, I'm not." She looked down, "I ... you are right. I don't remember it but I think ... I know you are right. But figuring out what happened to Kathryn and who is trying to frame Miss. Blanchard seems the best way to figure it out."

He looked like he wanted to believe her and a tear came down her face against her will.

"Are you saying you are the Evil Queen, and his fantasy is real?"

Regina looked over at the woman behind bars, "I'm the Evil Queen and you must be Snow White and I don't know what that makes us to each other but I don't think you killed my friend and ... I really hope I didn't either. Proving who did seems to me the way to clear you and prove if I really am a monster or not."

Henry reached for her hand and squeezed it, she gave him a soft smile. "Careful Henry. I'm not sure you'll be wanting to trust me quite yet. I still don't know what is going on or what exactly I did. I only just..."

"You told me when you figured it out for yourself. And you are trying to help Miss. Blanchard. Villains lie and hide things, you're trying to help."

"I'm trying." She shrugged.

"Mayor Mills?" Mary Margaret said from the cell, "This all sounds crazy... but what you said about skeleton keys?"

She held out her hand flat to show her the tiny key. "It opens the cell door."

Henry frowned, "Mom that's one of your keys."

"So it is." She took the key from her and pulled the ring from her purse finding that spot among the others that this one was missing. "It seems someone has decided to frame me for framing you for murder."

Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow, "That sounds unlikely."

"Any more unlikely than you being Snow White and me being the Evil Queen who cursed us all here?"

The school teacher shrugged, "Yeah, not sure I believe that either."

Regina smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "It was easier when I didn't believe it myself."


	10. Chapter 10

"Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds?" Emma said the next morning, her arms folded while Regina explained that she thought someone was setting Mary Margaret up. She looked at her friend in the cell. "You've been tormenting her for as long as I've been in town."

Regina nodded her head, "Yes. I have. But I believe someone is setting her up. And I think you do too."

"Yes, I believe you are setting her up."

Regina inhaled, "That's... actually possible."

"Excuse me?"

Regina put her hand on her stomach and waved a bit with her other hand, "I've come to understand that Henry is right about the curse. All of it."

Emma glanced at Mary Margaret who shrugged. "So you think you are ... the Evil Queen who cursed everyone here and that this is Snow White and you want to keep her out of jail."

"I think she's innocent."

Mary Margaret spoke up, "I'm not sure she still likes me much."

"I don't. But... the fact that I don't know why I don't like you is bothering me. Other than what the book said and I don't want to be the kind of woman my son despises. Somehow someone has set Miss. Blanchard up and I thought I could help."

"And you can't just tell the DA to drop the charges?"

She gave Emma an impatient look, "Yes because explaining this is going to be so easy."

Emma inhaled, "Tell me about why you said it's possible that you set her up."

"I was talking to Mr. Gold, or rather he was talking to me, and it felt like he was gloating. Like... I would gloat if I knew something and someone else didn't."

"Mr. Gold's my lawyer," Mary Margaret said.

"And a spectacular job he's doing for you given that you are about to go to trial."

"So you think Mr. Gold is setting you up to set me up. Maybe you are right telling this to the DA would be a bad idea." Mary Margaret sat down heavily on the bed.

"Or you are getting your revenge and making Henry think you are working to help." Emma looked over at her skeptically.

"I've punched you once, Sheriff Swan and I'll do it again."

"That's the Mayor Mills I know."

"I'm trying to help."

"Of course you are." Emma looked at her watch, "Listen I'm going to get my prisoner her breakfast before the court officers show up and you can think of how you are going to use all that influence of yours to stop this."

"I'll go with you." Regina said.

Emma looked like she was going to decline but just shrugged. As they were walking toward Granny's, "I know you don't believe in the curse."

"The fact that you do and you think you are some sort of Evil Queen explains so much about you Madam Mayor."

"Henry has a way of making you believe." Regina said quietly.

Emma glanced over at her and seemed to agree. A scream interrupted both women and they took off running. Emma faster because she wasn't wearing ridiculous shoes. "Kathryn?!"

Emma turned the dirty blond woman over and Regina was already calling for an ambulance crying with relief. She hadn't told Henry or Emma what she suspected about Graham but at least she knew that her alter ego hadn't killed her only friend. She still wasn't sure she hadn't done this too.

The hospital staff and later Emma wouldn't let her into the room, so Regina stood outside pacing until the Sheriff came out. "She's in shock, dehydrated and malnourished."

"But she'll be alight?"

"I don't know, will she Madam Mayor?"

Regina shook her head, "What?"

"She doesn't remember anything after drinking with you the night she was supposed to leave for Boston. And she escapes and you are suddenly trying to convince Henry and I that you believe Mary Margaret and want to help. Or you were covering your ass."

"I want to speak to Kathryn."

"And I don't want you interfering with a potential witness against you. Or are you going to tell me you are innocent?"

"I ... I think I'm innocent. I don't know."

"Well, for Henry's sake I hope I don't find any evidence that you are lying. He was excited because you were helping."

Emma brushed her shoulder past her and walked down the hall leaving Regina standing stunned in the corridor.

* * *

Regina decided to go to the source finally. She'd suspected for a few days but Gold was at the center of this. She found him in his shop of course... a place no one in their right mind came to buy anything... where she found him looking at maps and globes.

"Who are you?"

He turned around and smiled, "Have you hit your head dearie?"

She pointed to her chest, "I'm some sort of homicidal maniac who holds grudges. Who are you?"

"That, your Majesty, is information with a price and you don't have anything I want."

"We knew each other, back in our world." She tried not to flinch at being called your majesty. At least it confirmed that he knew.

He smiled widely, "Many people knew me. I was just that kind of man."

"And you have something against me?"

"That's not an uncommon occurrence, dearie. You will find that everyone in town has something against you. But yes, I have something very specific against you. You took something from me."

Regina narrowed her eyes, "Did I kill someone you loved?"

"No, far worse, you kept her alive so you could kill her when it suited you. But luckily for her and for me Mr. Jefferson knew where you were hiding her."

Regina sighed, "I don't even know what I did to him."

"You wanted a fresh start. This is a hell of your own making." He stepped closer to her. "You killed the sheriff and you are going to keep killing to protect yourself. That spinning wheel in your garage reserved for people you can't kill like Miss. Swan."

Her eye narrowed in question, "What ... why would I ..." And suddenly she understood. "Somehow Emma is the key to breaking the curse. That's why Henry ripped the pages out of the book. He was worried I'd hurt her."

"You will undoubtedly Regina. You see that was always your gift. To break things and hurt people. You always were like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum."

"What will the spinning wheel do? In the book it's a method of sleeping curse but ... I ... I thought apples were my thing."

He laughed, "So you threw them out? Oh my dear, you know as well as I do you have no control over this. You will protect your curse."

Regina swallowed and deep in her heart of hearts she knew it was true. "I'll just have to find a way to stop myself from hurting the Savior. If I can't help my son break this curse I can make sure she can."

Regina left the shop without seeing Gold's smile. She drove home on auto pilot, sitting down at the dining room table and writing out a long note to Henry and hoping that he would remember her as the woman he knew and not the woman they'd both read about in the book.

Steeling her courage she went to the garage, spun the wooden wheel and reached out to touch the needle with her finger.

It was Emma that found her lying on the floor hours later when she came to serve a search warrant.


	11. Chapter 11

Henry came running into the hospital followed by Mary Margaret. When the hospital had called the school she'd driven him over. Emma caught him before he could run past her into his mother's room.

"Wooo kid. You can't go in there they're still working." Emma said holding his hand.

"What happened?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma caught her eye and tried to shake her head so that Henry wouldn't notice but passed the teacher a folded piece of stationary. "I was serving a search warrant for evidence in Kathryn's kidnapping. I thought maybe her sudden change of heart was because Kathryn had escaped. I found her laying on the floor of the garage."

She didn't add Dr. Whale's theory, which was attempted suicide. They pumped her stomach but found no pills. Emma couldn't believe the idea that Regina Mills would commit suicide in her garage. "

"Was she near a spinning wheel?"

Emma frowned, "Wooden thing, yeah."

"It's the sleeping curse," Henry said as he took off his backpack and started to pull the book out. "She used an apple on you, but sleeping curses are usually done with a spinning wheel. There is one in our garage she never let me play with because it was some sort of antique with a sharp needle."

He showed the book page to Emma and when she took it she glanced over at Mary Margaret who was reading the note and it all seemed to fit into place. Henry looked between the two of them having the sixth sense of when adults were keeping secrets from him.

"What?"

Mary Margaret held the note up and started to read,

 _"My little prince, I hope that you know I didn't take this decision lightly. It has become clear to me that I was never destined to help you break this curse. My curse. Not only does it appear that I am a monster, but that when I cast this curse I set defense mechanisms for it which makes me a danger to anyone who might break it. Including you and Sheriff Swan. I don't want to hurt anyone. It appears I have hurt enough people for quite a few lifetimes. I am told that this spinning wheel will put its victim into a death like sleep and with me out of the way you can finally free these people. I am just sorry that I won't get to see you grow into the wonderful man that I know you will be, and I trust that Emma will figure out how to be a mother. Eventually. Try to make sure you eat some vegetables until she figures that out. Mom."_

Emma ran her hands along the picture of sleeping beauty and the spinning wheel and something rushed over her as everything in this weird town fell into place.

Henry pushed himself into Emma's arms and he started crying for his mother.

"Regina always was one for theatrics." A voice came from behind the three of them. "This I didn't expect."

"You ... know?" Emma said.

Mr. Gold flourished a hand. "Finally a believer."

"Can we save my mom?" Henry said quietly. "She did this to herself to protect us all. If we break the curse we can wake her ..."

"That would require your mother to have a true love, and whatever the curse personality, her heart is still black from all that she has done. She's not capable of it."

Mary Margaret shook her head, "I'm still not sure I believe any of this but that ... is not how love works."

"Says Snow White the woman who never stopped loving the Evil Queen even as she burned the world to kill her. How ... Charming."

"I take it you know about this curse?"

"A thing or two dearie. Enough to know that what you need to break a curse is magic. It just so happens that I have a bit locked away. But getting it might be a tad... dangerous."

Henry looked up Emma with wide eyes, "Please ... my mom did this to herself so you could break the curse. Maybe if the curse breaks she'll wake up."

Emma looked over at the pawn dealer, who just shrugged.

But she was enough a mother now that she couldn't turn her back on Henry. "Mary Margaret could you stay with Henry." She stood up and looked at Gold. "This better not be impossible."

"It shouldn't be a problem for you," He smiled and shrugged as they got into the elevator, "It's only a little dragon, Miss. Swan."

Mary Margaret squeezed Henry's shoulder. "Why don't we read a story to your mom while she sleeps. Do you know which one she might like?"

Henry looked up at her and nodded quietly. Mary Margaret sat him in a chair by his mother's hospital bed and took the book from him. _"Once upon a time when Snow White was a young girl her widowed father was searching all the land for a new wife. Someone who would love his daughter as her mother had and who would teach her how to be a lady. But the young princess was not used to so much riding and while passing the estate of a country noble family her horse spooked and ran away. She hung on for her life but she was losing her grip when suddenly a beautiful young woman, the best rider in all the realm, heard her cries for help..."_

Mary Margaret was surprised how she was affected by the story, and as she looked at the slumbering face of the mayor she wondered if all of this were really true what their lives had been like.

The machines started beeping madly and the nurses and doctors rushed in and she pulled Henry from the room and wouldn't let him watch as they tried desperately to save his mother's life. In vain it seemed. After Dr. Whale turned off the last machine and called the time of death Mary Margaret took out her phone to call Emma with a shaking hand.

When she arrived back she looked like she'd been rolling around in soot and ash. Mary Margaret just shook her head. Emma squeezed Henry's shoulder and took him into his mother's bedside to say goodbye. He didn't even have time to ask about the mission to find magic. He didn't even want to ask about it. He gently touched his mother's hair and leaned in to give her a kiss.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe in you."

And with that a wave of light washed from them, over the room and the town sending everyone back as if blown by a high wind.

Regina's eyes opened and she looked at Henry... "You saved me."

From behind a mildly confused but happy Emma, Snow White spoke. "No Regina. The two of you saved us all."

 **Epilogue.**

Most of the town was still finding its footing, and many weren't entirely willing to trust the Evil Queen no matter how the curse was broken. But life had to go on and Archie Hopper opened his office the a few days later expecting that more than a few people would need his help. What he didn't expect when he opened to door was the mayor.

"I... I've killed a lot of people and I don't even know how I'm supposed to live with that."

He nodded at the obvious understatement.

"Can you help me?"

"I'd like to try," he smiled and let her into his office and closed the door behind her.


End file.
